My Dear Saley
by Ezra Scarlet
Summary: Naruto has a little sister who he is fiercely protective of. If it mean't her happiness, he would go to hell and back. No, no one will touch her. His light, his life, his little sister named Saley. NarutoCentric, rated M for dark themes, GEN
1. In desperation

My Dear Saley: In desperation.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Beta: bast4-Thanks heaps

0o0

Red

Everything was covered in red.

His hands lay across his wife's chest, trying to stem the flow of blood. Inside, he knew it was hopeless.

"It will be alright Kushina, everything's going to be fine." The hysteria in his voice was hard to miss.

"Oh Minato, you always were a bad liar."

His mouth twisted up into a wide, forced grin.

"I'm not lying, just you wait. You'll be up and about in no tim-"

"Minato, please."

He knew what she was asking without her even needing to say it. _Please don't lie to me. Please don't look at me like that. Please._

Minato choked on the sobs that threatened to burst through. He couldn't, just couldn't lose her.

"Oh Kushina." His voice came out as a rasp "Please don't leave me, please-"

"Mi-Minato" she cut him off "You ne-need to focus. The Kyuubi is free, you have to stop him. And, you have to look after our ch-children."

Minato looked towards his beautiful twins, which they had had only moments before. Everything had been so good just a few moments ago. He was a father, he had a beautiful wife, and the village was safe. Then in an instant, that had all changed.

"Minato!" Kushina's frail hand came up to smack him. He barely even felt it, but it drew his attention anyways.

"Minato" She said again "You ha-have to promise me. Pr-Promise me you'll save the village, and take care of our children. Promise me, p-please."

Minato stared into the eyes of the woman he loved. The eyes of the woman he adored. The eyes of the woman who loved him. The eyes of a woman on her deathbed, making a last, desperate request.

"Yes, Kushina. I promise."

At his promise, Kushina smiled. But it wasn't a sad smile, or one of her usually too large smiles. It was a smile that she only used when they were alone, when she was happy, when she told him she loved him.

"I love you, Minato."

"And I you, Kushina." He bent down to lay a kiss upon her forehead, and tears dripped down onto his wife's cold, so very cold cheek, as life fled her body.

Minato would have done anything, just to have been able to stay there forever, bent over the corpse of his wife. But that wasn't an option. He had made a promise, and he was going to keep it.

Closing his wife's eyes, he gently laid her onto the dirt, and turned towards the enraged Kyuubi. However, staring at it, he knew he couldn't defeat it. His only option was to seal it away, into one of the only possible vessels available. Not Saley, but his firstborn son, Naruto. But if he did this, he would be breaking one of his promises to his wife.

_"Take care of our children. "_

Minato almost backed out, almost, but as he looked across the village, his village, and heard the screams of men, women, children, Minato knew what he had to do.

"SEAL!"

Kyuubi's chakra flew into him, and he was surprised by how heavy it was. His shoulders sagged in effort, exhaustion settling in, his white coat tipped with flaming red spreading out behind him as he collapsed to his knees. Hacking coughs racked his body, and sweat poured down his forehead. Suddenly, he heard a wailing cry.

There Naruto lay, white blankets pooling out around him, as he balled his fists, and cried for all he was worth. His sister, however, remained quiet by his side, seeming to observe the happenings behind her with a curious, engaged gaze.

Minato shakily staggered to his feet, and with some effort, managed to drag himself towards his two children. His hands came out to take his son into his arms, still laced with Kushina's blood. However, as he did, Saley's hands shot out to grab a handful of Naruto's hair, unyielding in her grip.

She stared at him as if accusing him. Minato knew that was wrong, but it still felt like she was. Minato tried to gently detangle Saley's fingers from her brother, but Saley refused to let go. He kissed her on the forehead and caressed her cheek with his hands.

"It will be alright,"he whispered. "Daddy's here. Daddy's gonna make sure nothing happens to you guys. It's gonna be alright."

At those words, Saley's grip relaxed, and she gave Minato a happy, trusting gurgle. He withdrew his hand, leaving long, bloody trails across her cheek. Minato hated himself for lying to his beautiful little baby girl. He regretted not being able to look after his children. He regretted not being able to stay with them. He regretted not being able to give them the life they deserved.

"I could look after them for you if you'd like. Of course, it would come at a price."

Minato whipped around to face the source of the voice.

There she stood, electric green eyes and flowing black hair that came to her waist, the whipping wind leaving her mysteriously untouched. She would have been beautiful, if not for the large, puckered scar that ran from her left eye to her chin.

"What do you mean?" Minato was instantly wary of the woman. She lacked any type of ninja garb, nor any type of forehead protector to signify what village she was from. She was dressed in a scandalous outfit, the shirt she was wearing barely managing to cover her breasts, and her skirt came halfway down her thighs, a split cutting down the side.

"What I mean is that I will take care of your children until they are able to look after themselves at a price."

A roar from overhead caught Minato's attention. He watched for a second in anger as a long, sharp claw came down and destroyed the nearest buildings. The Kyuubi released another, feral roar as it was pelted with several shuriken, and its ears flattened against its head in fury.

"What price? What is it?"

Her mouth curled up into a small, cruel smile, and Minato waited anxiously.

"The deal is that I look after your children, and in return, I want a few things. One would be the youth of your daughter."

Minato blinked in confusion. Seeing he didn't get it, she explained further.

"What I'm saying is that in return for her youth, which will transfer into me, I will look after her. Don't worry though; she will still age, just at a slower rate than usual. For every five years that pass, she will age only one year."

Minato had trouble wrapping his head around the idea, but eventually came to terms with it. His daughter might age a little slower, but what did that matter? As long as she was safe, it didn't matter. Anyways, with the Kyuubi towering over them slowly getting closer, Minato didn't have many options.

"Okay, I agree."

"Good. But I will require payment from your son also."

At this point, Minato was getting frantic. The red eyed beast slowly approaching them didn't help matters.

"Fine, I agree, take anything you want. Anything!"

He never noticed the predatory and sick gleam that came into her eyes.

"Okay then." Withdrawing a scroll, she turned it towards him. "Just press your palm here, and the deal's sealed."

Minato slammed his blood stained hand onto the bottom of the piece of parchment, and in a swirl of light and sound, it was done.

"Heh, good doing business with you." And in a swirl of smoke, she disappeared.

After her disappearance, Minato wasted no time in turning back to his children, and sealing the last portion of the Kyuubi into his son.

As Minato's consciousness faded, Minato thought of how grateful he was that that woman had come along. How grateful he was that someone was going to look after his children. And how grateful he was that he didn't have to break his promise to his wife. And so, Minato Namikaze died on the night of October 10th with no regrets, except that he hadn't been able to save his wife.

If he knew the pain that he had just unwittingly bestowed upon his children, more so his son, he definitely would have died with many, many more.

0o0

There you go first chapters up. I've already got the second one written, so tell me if you want me to post it or not. Tell me what you think, no flames please, and reviews are greatly appreciated!


	2. For her,anything and everything

Pointers:

Flashback: _Flashback_

Beta-bast4-Thankyou!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"WHAT!"

The four shouts of fury bounced around the room, echoing off the walls painfully. Tsunade's eyebrow twitched irritably at the sound, barely constraining herself from punching her annoying subordinates through a wall.

"You heard me. From now on, Team Seven, after missions, training, whatever, must spend at least one hour together, as a Team.

"Bu-But why?"

The question came from a shell-shocked Naruto, who looked, understandably, horrified by the idea.

"Because,"Tsunade worded carefully, as if speaking to a child, who, at thirteen, she guessed they were."For the past two months, Team Seven has failed every single mission given to it, because of your inability to work together as a team."

"But Tsunade-sama, that's all Naruto-Baka's fault. He's always screwing up and dragging us down!"

"Haruno has a point, Hokage-sama. The Dobe is always the deadweight of the team."

"Seriously Tsunade-sama, while I don't like to say it, Sakura and Sasuke are always completing the mission quickly and efficiently. It is only when our other teamate gets a bit more…excited that we start to have problems. Why fault the whole team for the errors of one?" Kakashi's stance was cool and calm, but his voice came out sounding slightly desperate. Tsunade would have none of it.

"You are a team, so damn well start acting like it. You are one of a whole. If a mission goes wrong and a teamate dies, do you say "It was their fault for being such a screw up, they deserved to die?" No, you don't! Kakashi, I would have expected better from you." The glare she levelled with him had Kakashi inwardly shrinking back in shame, though outside he stayed the same.

"Umm, B-Baa-Chan, it really is my fault, so you don't have to punish them for me being such an idiot, ya know?" Naruto's hand came up to scratch the back of his neck, and a small, sheepish smile was on his face. Tsunade had come to recognise the action as a quirk Naruto subconsciously did whenever he was nervous or embarrassed. Tsunade frowned a bit at the blonde's words, and the barely concealed panic that seemed to have settled onto the genin's face, but just as quickly dismissed it.

"No, Naruto, my word is final, so don't try to sway me on this. Consider this a mission, just without the pay. And, if you don't like that, consider it an order from your Hokage. Your "mission" starts tomorrow. Understood?"

They all nodded weakly at their Hokage, unwilling to go against a direct order.

"Good, then you may all leave"

As Team Seven filed out of the Hokage's office, Tsunade couldn't help but notice the slumped shoulders of her favourite blonde haired little knucklehead. She felt confusion at his unwillingness to hang out with his teamates, even if it was forced. Usually he was the one encouraging them to all go out together, though they never accepted his offers. She had thought that he would be happy at the chance to bond with his team even more. However, all thoughts of a certain blond ninja were banished from her mind when a particularly large pile of paper work was dropped onto her desk.

With a groan, Tsunade reached into her bottom drawer for her beloved bottle of sake.

0o0

"Damnit."

In Naruto's haste, his foot got stuck in a gutter, and he face planted onto the tiles of the roofs. Regaining his feet, he continued onward.

"Argh"

His right leg, still healing as it was, collapsed from underneath him, but he managed to latch onto the rail before he tumbled into someone's balcony

"Gah"

His head, still bleeding profusely, blinded him. That, coupled with a slight disorientation, a need to spew, and other injuries, sent him tumbling off the roofs and into the alley below.

He fell onto the ground, the dirt dampening the sound of his fall, but did nothing to cushion the impact. He just wanted to rest. He just wanted to sleep. And really, hadn't he deserved his rest?

_Don't you dare give up. Go home. She's waiting for you._

But he was so tired. Just a little rest. That's all.

_No! The voice was loud and insistent. She needs you. You have to protect her._

With a groan, Naruto pulled himself up and back onto the roofs. Roofs were safe. No civilians could reach him up on the roofs. Of course, that was only if no ninja decided to come and join in on the fun. Naruto had been through that before, and would rather not have a repeat.

With hasteful but drunken movements, Naruto pumped chakra into his feet and continued on his way.

"Just a little more" he kept chanting to himself.

He had made it to his street.

"Just a little more."

He could see the flight of stairs that led up to his apartment.

"Just a little more."

The door to his apartment was right down this hallway.

"Just a little more."

And he was there. Finally, he was home. With a barely suppressed cry of relief, Naruto wrenched the door open, crawled over to his poorly abused couch, and slumped down into the age worn cushions. The blood from his many wounds stained the once white couch red, but Naruto couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. There was only one thing he cared about right now.

"Naru?"

Stifling a groan of pain, Naruto pulled himself up into a sitting position, trying to quell the instinct to immediately scrunch up into a ball.

Plastering a smile onto his face, Naruto turned towards his beautiful little sister.

"Hey, Saley. How are you darling? Did you have a good day?"

His little sister's pale blue, almost bordering on grey eyes narrowed in concern as she looked at the wounds that littered his body. BeforeNaruto could stop her, he had a face full of her red hair, completely obscuring his vision, as she had wrapped her chubby little arms around his neck. Even though she was only a child, Saley was incredibly strong, and so any attempt to pull her away was not encouraged, as those little fists hurt when the girl was enraged.

"…wasn't it?"

Her words came out muffled, seeing as her face was buried into his neck. Suppressing another groan as he shifted in his seat, Naruto turned to look down at the little girl in his lap.

"What was that, Sa-chan?"

The arms around his neck briefly tightened for a bit, before she drew away from his neck to look him in the eyes.

"It was those bwad people again, wasn't it?

Naruto smiled gently at her

"The word is "bad", my little duckling, get it right"

This was an ongoing joke between the two of them, as she still hadn't managed to totally rid herself of the baby talk. She had been trying for a long time now to convince him that she was a "grown up", only to be proven wrong whenever she stuttered over the simplest words. Naruto found it adorable.

Saley sulked briefly, but just as quickly regained herself with a stubbornness and hard headedness that only toddlers could achieve, her face pulled upwards into a determined pout.

With a reluctant sigh, Naruto gave in.

"Yes, Saley, it was them again. But don't worry, your older brother's not going to let anything happen to you, alright. Even if they kill me, I'll do anything to protect you, so it's alright, okay Sa-chan?"

"NO! Big brother, you can't die, Saley can't visit you up in heaven. Saley can't live without her big brother! Please don't ever die Naru!"

Naruto's smile was soft as he turned towards his little sister. She was young, and she knew nothing of the world. He was slightly envious of her naivety.

"Sa-chan, you have to understa-"

"No! I will protect you, Naru. No matter what, Saley will protect you Naru. That way, you won't die, right? And then, we can be together forever, right, Naru?"

The tears had started to gather in her eyes, her expression pleading him, begging him to promise her. But Naruto knew he couldn't. With a choked sob, Naruto bought her to his chest, her cries muffled by his T-shirt.

Saley had no idea just how much Naruto wanted to just stay by her side. She had no idea how much Naruto wanted to just lay there with her and never move. But also, she had no idea how impossible that would be.

As she cried herself to sleep into his T-shirt, Naruto lay his forehead onto the top of her head, and let choked sobs rack through his body. They were dry and fitful, no actual tears falling, just the woes of a tired body.

Naruto was so tempted to not move, and just lay there forever, but he couldn't. He had work to do.

His body ached, but his wounds had mostly healed, thanks to the influence of Kyuubi. Naruto rose off the couch, careful not to disturb Saley, and headed into his room. When he reappeared, he was wearing an outfit similar to Sasuke's, except completely black. He also wore a bandanna to hide his hair from view, and a facemask to cover his whisker marks.

As he got ready to head out, Naruto pondered on the "mission" that Tsunade had given Team Seven earlier, and cursed in frustration. It was bad enough that he had to leave Saley alone during the day, and to have that time prolonged seemed even worse.

When Naruto offered to hang out with his team after missions, he knew they would never take him up on his offer, so he was never bothered by it when they turned him down. But this, this extra hour each day, for which would be an hour more away from Saley, was not good. What if the villagers broke into his house while he was gone and took her from him? This was one of the reasons that only two (Though Naruto would have preferred only one) people in the whole world knew about Saley's existence. If the villages found out about her, they would torture her just to get to him, and Naruto didn't think he could bear it if that happened.

With curses stringing continuously from his mouth, Naruto made his way out the door, but stopped when he heard a small, frail voice waft over to him.

"Naru…I love you Naru."

Naruto smiled fondly at his sister's sleeping form. She was talking in her sleep. He made to walk out the door again, but was once again stopped at the sound of her voice.

"Naru…No matter what, Saley will protect you from the bwad guys. That's a promise…"

And then her voice quieted once more, finally falling into a dreamless sleep.

"Oh, little duckling, the word is "bad". How many times do I have to tell you?"

But the words lacked the previous humour they had had before, and as Naruto took to the rooftops, no one was there to see the lone tear fall.

0o0

Saley loved her older brother Naru. He always protected her. She remembered a time when they had been playing hide and seek together. She had got lost and was very frightened, and sat there crying in fear. But then older brother Naru had found her, all sweaty and just as frightened as she was. The moment she saw him, she had jumped into his lap and cried herself to sleep. She couldn't remember a time when they hadn't been together.

But, for some reason, she could never remember how old she was. Every time she asked Naru-niichan about her age, he would stoutly reply "Two and a half years old", but she knew that wasn't right. For some reason, that just felt wrong. But also, Saley knew she wasn't like other children. Saley had seen them, throwing tantrums, scrunching their faces up and crying over the smallest of things, and demanding to be fed. Saley never did that. When she questioned her older brother about it, he had looked at her strangely for a second, before he told her that it was just because she was more ma…matu…mature, (yeah, that word) than other toddlers, but for some reason that felt wrong as well. But that was only one of the things she didn't understand about her older brother

Sometimes, people came around to their house, and did awful things to Naru, but Naru would never let her see. He would lay her down under the floorboards every time they came, place a blindfold around her eyes, and tell her to think of a happy place. Saley could only wish each time that he gave her earplugs as well, because hearing what they were doing was just as bad as seeing it.

But, there was one person that trumped all of these people, who made Saley not angry, but scared. Cain, she thought the name in fear. But not scared for herself, because Cain never hurt Saley, but whenever Cain would come over, her older brother would freeze. He'd go pale, his hands would start trembling, and his eyes would go all watery. But then, he would look at Saley, as if searching for something, and always, always, he seemed to find it, because his eyes would suddenly go stony, and

then he'd march out the door, with Cain following behind. And then he'd never return until the next day.

But then there were times when Cain would come over when Naru wasn't around. She would never do anything, except slightly caress Saley's face, and always, a leering smile would grace her face, which would have been beautiful if not for the scar running down it. Saley remembered the first time when Cain had come over, after not having seen her for so long, not since she kicked them out, only to have Naru come home early.

0o0

_Saley fought the urge to shrink away from Cain's approaching hand, but at the sound of the door opening, Cain halted its path._

_Saley fought to see behind Cain's mane of black hair. There, standing in the doorway, stood Naru, his face shocked, but his stance furious._

_"What the hell are you doing!?" In two long strides, Naru had grabbed Saley's hand in his own, and had shoved her behind him protectively._

_"I said" her older brother repeated "What the hell are you doing!?"_

_Cain had straightened her posture in haughtiness and a predatory gleam entered into her eyes._

_"Why, Naru-chan, I was simply coming over to collect my payment. You do remember our agreement, right?"_

_Her older brother's jaw had hardened, and he practically spat out the next words._

_"I've told you, I don't know anything about any agreement."_

_"Oh Naru-chan, I know you don't, but someone who has, or had, just as much power over your life as you do did. And he signed the agreement himself._

_Cain then went about unsealing a scroll from her pouch. When she unfurled the scroll for Naru to see, his eyes widened. Saley couldn't make out anything except a big, bloody handprint covering the bottom half of the scroll, but she could see words written in an untidy scrawl that she had never learnt to read._

_"N-No" her brother had taken a small step back "Th-That can't b-be true."_

_Saley looked to her brother in confusion. What would have him so scared like this?_

_"Yes, that's right, my little Naru-chan. I fulfilled my end of the deal, by looking after you two until you could deal with yourself. Now, it's your turn."_

_Cain came closer, and closer, until she was nose to nose with Naru, and her jade green eyes met cerulean blue. She reached out one, long finger, and bought it up to caress Naru's cheek._

_"Yes, Naru-chan, you and your "little sister" are mine now. Or else, you know the consequences of not obeying the contract, right?"_

_A mute nod was all she received in return._

_"Good," she leered. _

_With one last parting glance, she headed out the door, but not before leaving some parting words. Saley remembered that at those words, her brother had frozen up in fear._

_"__I'll__ be leaving you alone for now, but soon, very soon, I'll be coming to collect payment. From both of you."_

_And that was the start of Naru's prolonged absences, the avoidance of questions she wanted answers to, and the small caress of her cheeks that Cain loved to give her._

0o0

Saley remembered a time when Cain used to look after them. It was nice then. She used to tuck them into bed and sing Saley lullabys while stroking her hair.

But then Cain and Naru started to get into arguments. They were always about things Saley didn't understand. After a while, Cain kicked them out, a shabby apartment prepared for them, a few thousand yen clutched in her older brother's hand, and orders for him to get a job.

It was the start of everything. Saley fell asleep that night, waiting for her brother to come home, her heart wishing for the times when things were much simpler.

0o0

A/N there you go, there's the second chapter. My story takes place after the chunin exams, and Tsunade is Hokage, okay? Reviews, favourites and follows are greatly encouraged.

C'mon guys, Review!


	3. Dont you remember?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

0o0

_"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."_

_Albert Einstein._

0o0

Saley awoke to the sound of screaming.

Saley's mind, still foggy with sleep, failed to comprehend the sound. However, another yell tore through the night, tearing away the dregs of sleep.

Bolting up in alarm, Saley turned to face the source of the noise.

It was Naru. His mouth was open, unleashing a painful scream, and his face was scrunched up into a tortured expression. He had his hand clutched to his stomach, and his body kept bucking up as if he were being struck in the back. Saley continued to stare in horror and shock at her brother for a few seconds, before a coarse, male voice shouted at them through the walls, followed immediately by the banging of fists against the front door.

"SHUTUP YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Naru's screams stopped abruptly, and Saley watched as her older brother buried his face into the bed sheets in an attempt to muffle his screams. Kicking off the blankets that Naru must have put on her, she padded across the wooden floor, and jumped onto his bed. The moment she did, Naru's arms came out to wrap her in a strangling hug, his face still buried in the sheets. Saley tucked herself into her older brother's side, Naru's arms encasing her in a vice like grip. Extracting his head from the sheets, Naru then buried his head into his younger sister's hair, his pained cries muffled by her hair.

Saley didn't know what was going on. This had never happened before. All she knew was that her brother was in pain and she was helpless to stop it. And so Saley did the only thing she could do. She talked.

"Do you remember that time when Cain first kicked us out, Naru? We had gotten lost, and we took a wrong turn into the forest surrounding the village. I don't know how we managed to get there, but we did." A hollow chuckle escaped Saley's mouth, while Naruto continued to whimper into her hair.

"I was riding on your shoulders, because my feet had gotten tired. I remember you said 'Don't worry Sa-Chan, your older brother knows what he's doing' only for you to trip two minutes later, and for us to go tumbling off the ledge and into a lake." Saley chuckled lightly at her older brother's clumsiness.

"I remember our heads breaking the surface of the lake, and wondering at the beauty of it all. I remember how the wind swept through the trees making them dance and sway. I remember how the birds soared through the sky, seeming content to simply fly. I remember how the sky was so clear, not a cloud in sight, and thinking that 'The sky looks almost exactly like Naru-niichan's eyes, except not nearly as bright.' Do you remember that day, Naru? Do you remember how we splashed around in the lake, how beautiful the world looked that day, and that, for a second, we could imagine we were happy?" Saley's tears fell down her face, making small damp patches appear on the bed sheets. Her brother's whimpering had died now, and his breath came out in gasps as he fought to regain his breath. His grip tightened around her for a second, before he whispered into her hair, pain still lacing every word.

"I do remember, Saley. But I also remember how almost out of nowhere, the sky darkened, and it began to rain. I remember how our smiles slid off our faces, and how we both looked at the sky, forlorn and tired. I remember watching the rain fall onto the lake, sending ripples cascading across the surface, and distorting the reflection in the water. I remember how I set you onto on my back, and dragged us both back to the edge of the lake. I remember thinking about just how much the world loved to screw me over, and wishing for it all to end."

Naruto shifted so that he was pressing his forehead against Saley's, his eyes meeting hers for a second before he closed them in remembrance.

"I remember finding a broken beer bottle, the bottom of it jagged and sharp, and holding it to my wrist. I remember trying to find the courage to drag it across my wrist, just so everything would end. But then I remember you stumbling your way through the bush towards me. Your hair was full of twigs, your hands were caked with mud, and you had a scraped knee. However, in your hand, you held a small worm, which you showed to me with a proud look on your face. I remember how excited you were. You said to me 'Look Niichan! I found him in the dirt. I gonna take care of him Niichan, because he looked so scared and lonely just sittin there all worm-like in the dirt."

"I remember asking you 'Don't you think you should put him back, Sa-Chan? Surely his parents are looking for him, wondering where their baby went.' I can still see the sad look that came onto your face as I said that, and I wanted to kick myself for putting it there. 'But Niichan' you said to me 'He was just sittin there all lonesome, and no one was lookin after him. If I hadn't picked him up, someone was gonna stamp on him. I gotta protect him Niichan, or else if I don't, who will?'"

Slowly, Naruto opened his eyes to lock gazes with her, and though it was strained with effort and pain, it still managed to make her feel better.

"You have no idea how much those words impacted upon me Sa-Chan. I remember thinking, "If I take my own life, whose going to protect you? Who's going to make sure you stay safe? Who's going to make sure you stay happy?" Saley gave a guilty start at that. Was she the reason Naru-niichan was in pain?

"I made a promise that day, Saley. I promised to protect you from this world, when all it wants to do is beat you down. I promised to always be there for you, even if everyone else abandons you. And you know what we say about promises, right Saley?"

Banishing all notions of guilt, a knowing grin spread onto Saley's face before she repeated the words that had been hammered into her mind since birth.

"Uzumakis never go back on their promises. That's our ninja way."

0o0

Kakashi was in no way a social man. Sure, he hung out with his work mates from time to time, but other than that, he did his absolute best to avoid society, preferring instead to read his, ehem, "literature". And so, when his Hokage had pretty much ordered him to socialise with his team, anyone would be right in saying that he was not happy.

Alas, he had no choice in the matter, which was how he had gotten here, in a stool at Ichiraku Ramen, with his three genin sitting on either side of him. As the kids ate, Kakashi took the time to survey them. Believe it or not, he was very proud of his team.

Sakura, for her part, was still the weak link of the team. However, she had recently sought an apprenticeship out under Lady Tsunade, and so she was bound to catch up sooner or later. Already, she had begun training with Lady Tsunade, and Kakashi could already see the progress she was making. Just yesterday, when they had been having a four way spar, she managed to nip him with her chakra enhanced punch, and his shoulder was still aching.

Sasuke, their own residential brooder, was also improving in leaps and bounds. Ever since he had unlocked his sharingan, his Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu had improved drastically. However, the curse mark was still active, and kept distracting the last Uchiha with frequent bursts of pain and anger. Fortunately, Kakashi had managed to seal it away, and so as long as Sasuke did not unleash it willingly, it would not be a problem.

And then there was Naruto. Kakashi felt himself sigh in exasperation as he thought of Team Seven's number one unpredictable ninja. Granted, Naruto was an good ninja, and an even better fighter. But the boy was dumb as a post. It amazed Kakashi how a boy with the emotional maturity of a two year old could ever manage to not only learn the rasengan, but to also master it within only a month. When Kakashi had first heard that Naruto was going to be on his team, he had expected someone more along the lines of Sasuke. Broody, depressed, and a complete disinterest in the happenings around him. Oh how wrong he was. Naruto was loud, brash, and hotheaded. All brawn and no brain.

However, even with his faults, Naruto carried a heart the size of Konoha and then some. Even with his social ineptitude and talent for screwing things up, he was still a part of Team Seven, and therefore he was family.

Kakashi just wished he was a little bit brighter.

"-ka-sensei. KAKA-SENSEI!"

Internally wincing at the loudness of the voice, Kakashi turned towards his blonde haired student, and gave a lazy eye smile. However, instead of getting angry at Kakashi's casual dismissal, Naruto simply seemed anxious.

"Sensei" he growled "I've been calling you for the past minute. Our hour's nearly up. We can leave now."

Kakashi turned to the clock that was mounted onto the wall, hope sparkling in his heart, before he saw the time. With a sigh of disappointment, Kakashi turned back toward his blonde haired student.

"Maa, a slight miscalculation there, Naruto. There are still 10 minutes left. " Kakashi knew that if he tried to bail on their one hour even a millisecond early, Lady Tsunade would be aiming a chakra enhanced fist his way. He shuddered at the thought.

Naruto's face scrunched up in annoyance. And, if Kakashi had been looking, he would have also noticed the underlying tone of panic. However, he wasn't. Currently, his attention had been shifted to his other two students, who seemed to be having a rather one sided conversation, where Sakura tried her very best to coax Sasuke into a conversation, and Sasuke tried his very best to pretend she wasn't there. All in all, neither side was having much success. However, Kakashi was forced to look away from this amusing sight when the voice of Naruto cut towards him once more.

"But Sensei, it's only 10-wait, make that 9 minutes. Don't you think that we could just, you know, finish early maybe?"

Kakashi frowned at his blonde haired student, and finally took the time to actually look at him. His shoulders were tense, and his hands fidgeting with the hem of his jumper. His feet were tapping an unsteady rhythm as if in impatience, and he kept glancing at the clock every five seconds. Something was up.

"Maa, Naruto-kun, is everything alright?" Kakashi made sure to maintain the slight drawl in his voice and lazy eye, none of it betraying the slight concern he felt.

Naruto's eyes darted to him, widening almost comically, before he folded his hands behind his back and gave Kakashi a huge, close eyed smile.

"S' nothing Kaka-sensei. I just gotta go to a meeting today for my apartment block. They're talkin' bout putting in a joint bathroom, to help save on water bills. They wanted everyone to be there, so I just don't wanna be late, ya know?"

Ahh, so that's what this was about. Well, Naruto had been doing relatively well on missions lately, so maybe Kakashi could cut him some slack. Besides, it was a good excuse to get out of his current predicament early.

"Okay then Naruto-kun. You can leave, but make sure to pay for your food before you go, okay?"

Naruto's face snapped to him in relief. With a wide grin, he slapped his money onto the counter, bid goodbye to his teammates, and sprinted away with a parting wave.

With a sigh, Kakashi turned towards the money on the counter, and frowned. Picking it up, he began to count. When he got to the end of his counting, he promptly cursed in frustration.

"Little brat. Probably only left enough here to pay for the chopsticks he was using, let alone the whole meal."

Geez, he thought wearily. Kakashi did not know why Tsunade thought them hanging out with each other would work and make them function as a team. If anything, it just gave him more reason to want to strangle his students. Alas, that would require the signing of much paperwork, and he would rather leave that job to the Hokage.

And so, Kakashi brought out his book, began to shunshin away, and promptly ignored his remaining two students' shouts of protest as he left them with the bill.

Ah, how he loved torturing them.

0o0

It was dark outside, the night already claiming the world. The moon hung ominously in the sky, casting everything within its reach into eerie shadows. Konoha, on the outside, was a very peaceful place at nighttime. Stalls and shops lined the road, a seemingly happy glow emitting from them. Sakura trees hung above them, their petals falling onto the ground, delicate and soft, and people walked the streets, even at this hour, and greeted each other in a friendly manner.

However, that was simply first appearances. If one were to walk down that dark street, where no light touched, and everyone seemed to instinctively avoid, they would find homeless people, their eyes dull and tired, huddled together in groups, and trying to warm their hands over crudely made fires.

If one was then to keep going, past those homeless people, and continue down that dark, dark street, they would soon turn a corner, and find themselves facing a tall, stone building. If you were to enter into this building, careful not to step on one of the many syringes that littered the ground, you would find yourself facing a large, fluorescent lit room. In there, there would be children, men, and women. Some would be holding plastic bags to their faces, trying to sniff the chemicals inside, some would be popping pills into their mouths, heads thrown back in ecstasy, and some would be drowning their sorrows away with a bottle of alcohol. Some even holding razors to their wrists, and letting all life flow out, no one even pausing to watch as they died.

Now, this is where I tell you to stop. Stop walking, do not go any farther. You've seen enough of the corruption that is hidden in the depths of this village, you need not see any more. I beg of you, turn back, don't come this way, for down this path is nothing but heartache and pain.

Of course though, you won't listen to me. You'll keep walking, you'll turn a bend, you'll come to a fork in a path, and you'll turn left. Finally, you'll come to a set of stairs. From inside, you can hear hushed voices, the padding of feet, but you will also hear harsh moans of enjoyment, and hoarse calls of release. You'll hesitate for a second, your foot not quite over the threshold, but then you'll convince yourself that "everything's okay", and then you'll take one step inside, then another, then another. You'll find yourself in a room, separated into cubicles by only thin curtains. As you walk past, a curtain will flap open carelessly, and you will catch a sight of limbs, curled together in an elaborate dance. You'll quicken your steps, wanting to rid yourself of the image, but it's already too late. You know where you are. And you know you cannot turn back now. It is already too late. You did not head my warnings, did not turn back when I told you too, and now this world has trapped you in an unforgiving nightmare.

0o0

In a room, only a few metres away from the place where no one should venture, stood a woman. A beautiful woman she could have been described as, if not for the long jagged scar running down the side of her face.

This woman stood over a desk, and on that desk, lay a scroll. On the scroll was beautifully drawn kanji; it seeming to dance around the parchment, forming a loose circle in the middle of the page. The woman held her hand in the circle, continuously pushing chakra into the scroll, the chakra lighting it an eerie blue.

"He is fighting you."

The woman head snapped to the sound of the voice, but relaxed upon identifying it as her husband. At 6 foot, her husband was an intimidating man to be facing on a rainy day. His body stood strong and bulky, giving the impression he could break you in half with a flick of his wrist. His eyes were coal black, his jaw was hard and set, and his beard ended in a neat little curl. Turning back to the scroll, the woman answered.

"I know. He has been doing it for a while now, ever since he found out I want him alive. Now he thinks that as long as he can outlast the pain, he will never have to come to me again."

Her husband came up to her, and hugged his wife from behind.

"Ah, but you can make him come to us, cant you, dear? Or are you just as useless as the rest of them."

Her husband's words were not biting or sharp, he merely said them as if stating a fact. However, they still hurt, and almost subconsciously, her hand came up to touch her scar. Panic and anxiety overtook her. What if he left her? What if he didn't need her anymore? She didn't think she could bear the thought.

Slowly though, a plan formed in her mind and she smirked evilly. Heh, the boy thought he could escape them, did he?

Releasing herself from her husband's grasp, she turned to stride out the door, but not before turning to her husband giving him some parting words.

"Oh, I can do it alright. I know exactly how to make him come to me."

With a swish of her hips and a maniacal laugh, she disappeared down that dark, dark road.

0o0

_I didn't want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that's really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you're so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare."_

_Ned Vizzini-It's Kind of a Funny Story_

0o0

Ah, there you go. Hope you liked it, and please, REVIEW!


	4. Moon light kidnapping

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Saley. She's all mine XD

* * *

Naruto's body thrashed on the ground, a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth to silence his screams. Saley watched him, her eyes over flowing with tears. This had been going on for two weeks now, and her older brother needed help. But every time she asked if she could go outside to ask someone, Naruto would immediately shake his head in protest.

Saley knew why her brother wanted her to stay inside, away from the anger of the villagers. It was better if no one knew she existed. But Saley couldn't bear to watch her older brother in pain any longer. So when her older brother fell onto his bed, exhausted, she snuck out. She had to get him help. Maybe one of those people that Naruto was always looking fondly at in that picture would help her. Or maybe even Naru-niichans precious Iruka-sensei. Saley didn't really care, she just needed to get her older brother help.

Saley's feet padded against the pavement, her red hair flying in the wind. No one stopped her, they all just stared as if seeing a ghost. Saley didn't notice any of these looks. She just kept running, looking for the semi-familiar faces of the people she had seen in the picture, or the tell-tale scar and pony tail of Iruka-sensei.

It wasn't long before she was lost. Saley hardly ever left the confines of the house, and when she did, Naru always made sure they were both disguised, and she was held firmly in his arms. Because of this, Saley had no idea where she was going, and it was starting to get dark. Saley was starting to get desperate. Naruto wouldn't be waking up until the morning, but she was scared. She didn't know where she was going, and she could've sworn that those shadows were moving to form grotesque shapes. Saley wanted to turn back and go home, away from the darkness. But every time she did, Naru's face would pop into her head, and she knew she couldn't stop.

"Little girl? Are you alright little girl? Not lost are you?"

Saley stopped in her tracks, turning to face an old women. Saley couldn't see her face, because the women had pulled the hood of the navy blue cloak down over her face. In her knarled grip, she held a thick walking stick, and as she hobbled towards Saley, she saw the noticeable limp the women sported. Saley wanted to throw herself into the old womens arms and cry, however Naru had taught her not to trust strangers. Still, a few tears still leaked out from her eyes, and her chubby fists came out to wipe them away. Soon enough, Saley was crouched on the ground, bawling.

"Little girl?" the old ladies voice came out alarmed. "Is something the matter? Oh, you poor dear."

With a speed the old women shouldn't have been able to move at, she was crouched next to Saley, and pulling her into her arms. Saley didn't struggle. Naru had said not to trust strangers, yes, but surely this old, kind old women couldn't do her any harm. Surely.

"Hush, hush." the old women rocked her back and forth, taking in her scraped knees and dirty hands.

"You must've gotten lost, no? Well don't worry, you can come stay with me tonight, and tomorrow we'll find your house together. I'm sure your parents are very worried about you, but this is probably not a good time to go looking for them. How does that sound, dear?"

Saley stopped her sniffles with some difficulty, and almost consented to going with the old women. However, in a rush, the reason for her leaving the house in the first place entered her mind again. With haste, Saley jumped out of the the old womens lap, and attempted to pull her along by her hand.

"You got to come with me Obaa-chan! My older brother be sick you see, and I need someone to help him. You gotta come now Obaa-chan, or else Naru-niichan will get worried. Hurry!"

Saley tugged on the old womens hand repeatedly, but she wouldn't budge.

"Little girl, you must come with me! It is not safe to be out right now, and I'm sure you brother can wait until morning. Now, there will be no arguments. Up you go."

And in one fell swoop, the old women scooped Saley up into her arms, and placed Saley on her back. Firmly, she grabbed Saley's arms and fixed them around her own neck, so that Saley supported some of her weight. Without another word, the old lady trotted down a the road, presumably towards her house.

"Obaa-chan, let me go! I have to go to Naru-niichan!" Saley was starting to doubt her decision to trust this old women. She thrashed around on the old womens back, her legs kicking out. One of her fists managed to shake hold of the old womens grasp, and impacted with the old womens face. The women gave a pained grunt, before dropping Saley on her backside to the ground. Saley lay on the ground, slightly disorientated and numb. Suddenly, a hand wove it's way into her hair, and yanked her head up painfully.

The womens hood had fallen back during the scuffle. Saley had to stop herself from screaming in fear. The moon had come out from it's place behind the clouds, it's light illuminating her face. With a scar that ran down the right side of her face and a mad smile, Cain delivered a quick chop to the back of Saley's neck. The last thing Saley saw before she passed out was the moon that hung so ominously in the sky.

* * *

Naruto tore through his cabinets, searching.

_Not there._

He moved onto the wardrobe.

_Not here._

Naruto flipped over his bed, to reveal the gap underneath it.

_Not here either._

With a desperate stride, Naruto bent down in the middle of his living room, and quickly removed the loose floorboards.

_No._

Naruto climbed down into the tiny space underneath his floor, his eyes searching.

_No._

He pulled away the blankets that he had placed there, and knocked over the tower of rations that was neatly stacked in the corner. There was nothing. No head full of red hair laying on a pillow, or big toe peeking out from underneath the blankets. She wasn't there.

_No. No, no, no, no. Dammit, NO!_

"Saley!" Naruto screamed. "Honey, this isn't funny, if you can hear me, call my name!"

No answering voice came. With a pained scream, Naruto took to the streets. He was still in his pajama's, still wearing his slippers and boxers. Naruto usually slept bare chested, because the heat from Saley's body was usually more than enough to warm him. So Naruto darted outside into the cold rain, getting soaked through in seconds. Naruto didn't stop to answer any questions that anyone might have had, he just ran.

He searched everywhere she would go. He ran through bars and restaurants and poker pallor's and drug stores. He searched back alleys and in rubbish cans, calling her name desperately. He used chakra to make him faster, jumping from roof to roof. Naruto never even noticed when his slippers were reduced to nothing but scraps, and he started to shred his feet from all the running. He didn't care when he suddenly felt himself get unbelievably hot, despite the weather, or when his finger tips started to turn blue. He just kept searching. He had to find her. It was as he was going through the back alleys that a voice called him.

"Na...Naruto?"

At first, he didn't hear it.

"Naruto!?" the voice tried again, this time louder.

The voice broke through his thoughts, and Naruto looked up, alarmed. It took Naruto a while to recognize the familiar face of Iruka-sensei.

Naruto stumbled towards him, his eyes demented, his voice haunted.

"Iruka-sensei, have you seen her? I can't find her anywhere Iruka-sensei she's probably lost crying alone and I need to help her and stop her crying and make sure she's alright and then kill the bastard that made her cr-"

"Naruto!" Iruka's grip came down firm on Naruto's shoulders. Iruka shook him to regain his attention.

"Who the hell are you talking about Naruto? What's going on? And what happened to you?" Iruka questioned, taking in Naruto's steadily worsening condition. But it seemed that Naruto had been functioning on nothing but adrenaline for a while now, because suddenly his suddenly eyes fluttered closed, and he fell into the arms of Iruka.

Iruka stumbled slightly, and then blanched when he felt how thin Naruto was. But that would have to wait. Naruto's condition was getting worse. Iruka didn't know why the Kyuubi wasn't healing him, but that didn't matter at the moment.

He needed to get Naruto to Tsunade.

* * *

Hope you like it. Please read and review!


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